Though the headlines are reporting a "tight race" nationally between Romney and Obama, those headlines are chasing the wrong ball. The real test is the numbers that show Obama with an eight point lead in the wishy-washy states. This clenches Romney's buttcheeks because this is where the Obama campaign is concentrating on their portrayal of Romney as the Bain Outsourcer in a series of ads that Team Romney are finding damaging. The only thing one can conclude is that as close as the headlines say the race is, Obama is in control of the message.
Mystified Republicans have been quaking while Romney gets the ball spiked in his face again and again. They are wondering why Romney isn't fighting back. Well, finally, this week, Romney, Tagg that is, offered an excuse as to his father's paralysis:
"You'll see us hit back pretty hard. We're biding our time." and "We're catching up in cash on hand. If we're going to get outspent in June or October, I'd rather it be June."
I'm curious if Politico reported his words correctly though. How could they hear him so clearly from underneath the huge white flag he was trying to hoist above his head. To me, Taggmey was signing defeat. The message was muddled with indications of poorly advised political decision-making and complete unlikelihoods.
Biding our time? I can appreciate Tagg for trying to make it sound like Pops is in control, but essentially what he is saying is Pops is in control of getting his ass kicked. Conventional wisdom and common sense is on the side of Obama. In politics, you define your opponent before your opponent has a chance to define themselves and you. Romney's difficulty is that he starts out from a position of unlikability making it only easier for people's dislike of him to only grow. Not only that, as the non-incumbent, he has more work to do to introduce himself to the American people. Not only that, people like Obama more than they like Romney.
If Romney bides his time while Obama hammers him on his business experience, he is allowing more negative ideas of him to cement in the minds of voters. When someone hits you with a vital blow in politics you have to hit back hard and fast. That's politics 101. You don't bide your time. The only reason you would bide your time is if you just don't have a defense. That's what Tagg was signaling.
The Romney campaign is saying: We've got a plan. What's our plan? Our plan is this that we are about to say now that this sentence is finished. Get ready because here comes our plan which is... drumroll please! What no drum? Well we need a drum to announce the plan, but it has to be the right drum, because this is going to be some plan!
Is it November yet?
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